Among the myriad of baked goods favored by the American palate are those known, generally, as Brownies. Organoleptically, the ideal Brownie has a chewy, moist texture, a smooth, uniform surface appearance and is free of hard spots, unbaked batter, and a cratered surface. For the homemaker, there are available numerous "Brownie dry mixes". These, when admixed with, e.g. oil, water, and egg to form a batter, spread in a pan and baked in a gas or electric oven, then cut into rectangles, become the delicious snack cakes known as Brownies.
With the advent and increasing popularity and use of microwave ovens, there has been an increase in the availability and variety of prepackaged food products, including cake mixes, which are designed especially for heating and cooking in a microwave oven. While many foods lend themselves well to heating in a microwave oven to produce a satisfactorily cooked product, this is not true of all foods. Among foods which have presented problems in that regard, are batter-based baked goods, and in particular those known as Brownies.
Attempts to produce Brownies, having a desirable taste and eye-appeal by heating a pan of Brownie batter in a microwave oven have, hitherto, not been successful, the resulting baked product frequently having burned edges, having portions which are hard to the "bite", soupy, uncooked portion therewithin, and cratering or pitting of the surface, all of these affecting the taste appeal or the aesthetics of the product.
The production of satisfactory Brownies by means of heating a batter in a microwave oven has thus far remained an elusive goal.